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FAQ: ClinicalTrials.gov - Linking to ClinicalTrials.gov

Question: How do I link to ClinicalTrials.gov from my Web site?
Answer:

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) invites you to link from your Web site to ClinicalTrials.gov.

If you link to this site, provide proper attribution to the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM) and ClinicalTrials.gov. It must be clear to users that ClinicalTrials.gov is providing the data. Use only real-time data provided by ClinicalTrials.gov to ensure that the most up-to-date and accurate information is provided to the public.

Text Links

The text below shows you how to code your hypertext link to the ClinicalTrials.gov website. Paste the block of HTML code directly into your page.

Please observe the form of the ClinicalTrials.gov name, which should include an uppercase C and T, a lowercase g, no space between "Clinical" and "Trials", and be in italic letters.

Example:

ClinicalTrials.gov provides patients, family members, and members of the public easy and free access to information on clinical studies for a wide range of diseases and conditions.

<a href="http://clinicaltrials.gov/" title="Linking patients to medical research"><i>ClinicalTrials.gov</i></a> provides patients, family members, and members of the public easy and free access to information on clinical studies for a wide range of diseases and conditions.


Formulating Links to Search Fields

You can create links to individual search fields as shown below. For any multiword search terms (e.g. Alzheimer disease), spaces must be replaced with a "+" character. Unusual characters must be URL encoded.

Examples:

  • - Linking by search terms:

    Sample Text:
    Searching for Alzheimer disease studies in ClinicalTrials.gov

    Sample html:
    <a href="http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/term=alzheimer+disease">Alzheimer studies in <i>ClinicalTrials.gov</i></a>


  • - Linking by condition:

    Sample Text:
    Linking to Diabetes studies in ClinicalTrials.gov

    Sample html:
    <a href="http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/condition=diabetes">Diabetes studies in <i>ClinicalTrials.gov</i></a>


  • - Linking by intervention:

    Sample Text:
    Linking to fluoxetine studies in ClinicalTrials.gov

    Sample html:
    <a href="http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/intervention=fluoxetine">fluoxetine studies in <i>ClinicalTrials.gov</i></a>


  • - Linking by sponsor:

    Sample Text:
    Linking to clinical studies sponsored by NHLBI in ClinicalTrials.gov

    Sample html:
    <a href="http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/sponsor=NHLBI">Clinical studies sponsored by NHLBI in <i>ClinicalTrials.gov</i></a>

You may also link directly to a specific study record based on the NCT number, the National Library of Medicine's (NLM) unique identifier for a record, located at the end of each record.

XML Format

The XML format of ClinicalTrials.gov protocol records may be viewed by appending a URL parameter "displayxml=true" to the end of a well-formed URL.

Example:

You can view the DTD at http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct/gui/c/a1b/screen/ShowDTD?JServSessionIdzone_ct=gtc2401ou1

Additional Resource Information on clinical trials can be found at http://clinicaltrials.gov/info/resources
Related Questions:
ClinicalTrials.gov questions

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